Heart Ties
by silvernights21
Summary: Yes, we've already established that I'm Draco, now tell me who you are." Not that he needed her to tell him. Not that he didn't already know. Not like he could ever forget that voice, not when it haunted him every night in his dreams. Not like he could ev


_**Heart Ties**_

_**Chapter 1: Unkempt Hearts**_

"How could you do this?" _/To me? To us?/_ Normally civil ice-blue eyes glittered with unmasked fury and disappointment and hurt.

"Please..." The young woman shook her head, untamed curls whipping wildly, gorgeous deep-brown orbs shining with tears and desperation. "Please, please...listen to me, please. I don't..." Her chest heaved with her shuddering breaths. "I don't know why you think _I_ betrayed you, but please, _please_, it wasn't anywhere _near_ how you think it was!" The tears fell from her soulful eyes and the man's chest clenched hard like a vice. No! He mentally shook it off; she had done this to herself, she deserved to suffer! But the clenching feeling lingered.

The sleek blond took something out of his pocket and threw the object to her. The young brunette caught it, looked at it. She gasped, more tears falling and a wrenching sob tore from her. "That's why! That's how I know! He came in, tossed them on my desk! Then he told me the whole story, everything that happened! How the hell could you do something like that? Did you think I wouldn't find out one way or another? You fi-...!" He choked on the rest of his sentence. Damn it, even now, after she had humiliated him, he couldn't bear to insult her. He instead watched silently as the lacy scrap of material fell from her hands and she dropped to her knees, rocking herself, trying to calm herself, the tears still rolling down her face, dripping onto the floor in front of her.

"Draco...Draco, please, please! You don't understand, please! I don't want him! I've never wanted him! Please! I love you, Draco, _you_! I've never wanted anyone else! Please listen! You don't understand!" His cold eyes stared at her. "Please," she continued saying, "please! I love you. You don't understand..." She kept rocking herself, arms wrapped tightly aroung her middle. "Please..."

"No, Hermione." He hardened his voice. "You _don't_ love me. You _do_ want him. You did this to humiliate and insult me. I _do_ understand." The body-quaking sobs came haredr. Her pleading eyes looked up and focused their gaze on him, begging him to listen, to care. He felt himself soften. _/No! She meant to do this! She wanted this! Concentrate!/_

"Please, listen to me. Please, Draco, please..." He shook his head vehemently.

"No, Hermione. It's over. We're through. Good-bye." Then he turned and walked away, her heart-wrenching cries following him.

* * *

"Crabbe! Goyle! Get in here! Haven't I told you that you were not to allow that man inside the building? What part of that order didn't you understand?" The two tall, bulky men had almost comical expressions of confusion on their faces. _/It's a good thing I hired them for brawn, not brains./_ He sighed as the two security men of Malfoy/Zabini Enterprises continued to stare blankly at him, then mentally growled. _/Well, hell./_ He looked up. "Nevermind about it then. Just go tell the rest of security to remember him and keep him out, all right?" They nodded. "Get to it then!" The two scrambled out, bumping into each other at the doorway and pushing the other in an effort to get out faster; they reminded him of two mice, trying to scurry away before they were pounced on.

Draco fell back into his custom-made, comfortable black leather desk chair, put his elbows on the arm rests and dug the heels of his palms into his eyes. Dear God and angels above, today was not his day. First thing this morning, he received a call from one of the company's main factories informing him that one of their main assembly lines had broken down and that it would be a few days, possibly a week, before they could repair it, which would set them behind schedule and cost them hundreds of thousands of dollars.

An hour after he received this news, he'd had to field a meeting for Blaise - his business partner and close friend - who wasn't here today. He had ended up calling after the meeting was already over, moaning and groaning and complaining about a "bitch of a hangover" and that he couldn't come in until he felt decidedly more "human" again. Consequently, Draco had been forced to listen as an apparently nervous representative droned on and on about how well Electronics Inc. and Malfoy/Zabini Enterprises would benefit each other, when in all honesty, Draco knew his company was far better off without them. Three terrible consecutive things. All before noon too. Damn.

Then, during his lunch break, one of the men he and Blaise had fired for insubordination (not to mention, a failed drug test) had come barging in through his office demanding his job back. This incident wasn't terribly irritating, but the security personnel still should have prevented it; it was during his lunch break, for Christ's sake. Now, the beginnings of a major headache were working themselves up. Damn. Double damn.

_"Mr. Malfoy, sir. You have a phone call." _The young secretary's voice drifted through his occupied and fuzzled brain. He groaned.

"I'd rather not take any calls right now."

_"I told her you probably wouldn't, sir, but she insists and seems adamant that it is of extreme importance, sir." _Draco sighed.

"What's her name?"

"Well, she won't tell me, sir. But she sounds very determined and keeps insisting that it is very important that you speak to her, sir." Draco's brow furrowed. _/Who wouldn't leave their name? Especially if it is so important?/_

He put his head down, said, "Put her through," and picked up the phone. "Draco Malfoy speaking. Who is this?" There was a pregnant pause. "Who _is_ this?" There was an intake of breath, like whoever was on the other end had to gather up their courage to speak.

It was silent a hearbeat longer, then a soft, melodic voice timidly inquired, "Draco?" The blond's eyes narrowed and his heart sped up slightly.

"Yes, we've already established that I'm Draco, now tell me who you are." Not that he needed her to tell him. Not that he didn't already know. Not like he could ever forget that voice, not when it haunted him every night in his dreams. Not like he could ever forget _her_...

"It's Hermione," the voice whispered. "Hermione Granger." She must have sensed the shock, the anger, in his silence because in the next instant said, "Please don't hang up on me. Please. I really have to talk to you about something." Draco's temper flared.

He snarled, "What could the two of us _possibly_ have to talk about, _Granger_?"

"Our child."

Today was not his day.

* * *

Well, the end of chapter one. What do you lovely people think of it? If you like, let me know. If not, let me know. Feedback, por favor?

Reviewers? If you'd like to see another chapter, let me know what you'd like their child to be. Boy? Or girl? I've got the story all mapped out and either gender could work for it, but I'd like some readers' opinions on it before I, hopefully, continue.

R & R, please!


End file.
